Hello, everybody. This Fire Dog. And I know you’re thinking, so what’s Memorial Day and military have to do with Motorcycle and Safety Awareness Month? Because I am out here at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, IL. It’s the second most visited military cemetery. And we are out here at the memorials for a vigil and for 24 hours straight, people walk around the different memorials on this site in honor of all those that have served this nation, and gave the ultimate sacrifice for us. Now, again, so what does this have to do with motorcycle safety?
You know, a lot of the motorcycle culture came from the military. All of the clubs have origins. The guys that came back from the wars. They came back and they missed the excitement. They missed the brotherhood that they had. They missed all the camaraderie that you had when you lived 24 over seven with these guys day in and day out, in the worst, in the best and everything in between.
So when they came home, they didn’t have that. So they formed it and it became motorcycle clubs. And a lot of the motorcycle clubs that we have today still have a lot of these principles ingrained in them. Most have your military hierarchy, president and vice president, sergeant of arms. And that’s a riding a pack side by side in a formation, which is mirroring a marching formation that the military uses.
It’s a “I am my brother’s keeper.” We’re brothers and sisters on the roads, just like the military people are brothers and sisters in their line of service. So a lot can be said for our lifestyles as motorcyclists that we need to thank the military for as well. So I’m hoping this video comes out on Memorial Day.
I hope you take this day to remember everybody that gave the ultimate sacrifice and those who served and were willing to give that sacrifice, even if they didn’t. So we have the freedom to enjoy the things we do today. And that includes riding our motorcycles. So just remember, be safe out there and get out there and ride!
